We are delighted and proud to announce that we are putting together
a book to be titled Stan Laurel at the Oceana – Twilight of a Comedy
Legend which we intend to become the definitive account of the end
of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy's career and the ensuing years.
Starting with the end of their last UK tour in 1954, it will focus
on their retirement, primarily the final 7 years of Stan Laurel's
life which he spent with his wife Ida at the Oceana Apartment Hotel
in Santa Monica.

For the first time ever, we will paint as complete a picture as
possible of Stan the man, the real person behind the famous grin.
You will get to know him through a candid look into his daily life
as he corresponds with friends and fans, battles various illnesses,
receives honours and awards for his contributions to film comedy,
and receives visitors in his seaside apartment to reminisce about
the old days.

The book will have over 300 pages filled to the brim with
little-known facts and new revelations, including insights into
Stan's conflicted personality, accompanied by lots of rare and
unpublished images, and will include a bonus DVD, whose contents
will be disclosed later.

We invite you to read this newsletter to find out more details about
the book, who we are, and how you can help to make this book the
best it can possibly be.

On June 15, 1958, Stan Laurel and his fourth wife Ida moved to the
Oceana, a brand-new seaside apartment hotel in Santa Monica,
California. They would live there happily until Stan's death in
1965.

Living quietly away from the limelight, the elderly, retired and
ailing comedian spent his time corresponding with friends and fans,
watching the ocean and television, reminiscing about the old days,
and occasionally entertaining visitors which included fans as well
as celebrities.

Stan Laurel at the Oceana - Twilight of a Comedy Legend will take
you on a journey back to the 1950s, 1960s and beyond, giving you an
intimate look into the private life of one of the most celebrated
comedians ever. You will be able to follow him almost day by day
through correspondence, interviews, articles and much more. While
reading the book, you will learn many things you did not yet know
about Stan, the man behind the famous grin.

The book will contain over 300 pages filled with information,
letters, lots of rare photographs, personal items,... As a special
bonus, it will come with a DVD containing rare audio and video
(contents to be disclosed later). Follow Stan and Ollie as they are
forced to cancel their final British tour ahead of schedule, and
attempt a TV comeback after their surprise appearance on 'This Is
Your Life' in December 1954. Read about the health issues which
plagued both of them, Stan's devastation at Oliver's death in 1957,
and his subsequent retirement from show business.

Filled to the brim with rare and unpublished images, letters,
documents, trivia, insights into Stan's conflicted personality,
visitor stories and much, much more, Stan Laurel at the Oceana -
Twilight of a Comedy Legend will be the ultimate account of the
final chapter in Laurel & Hardy's career.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

For our upcoming book, titled Stan Laurel at the Oceana - Twilight
of a Comedy Legend, we have dug deep into our respective
collections, and several others have already generously supplied
additional material. However, we are sure that there is more out
there.

Therefore, we reach out to all of you. Are you a collector, did you
actually meet Stan or do you know someone who is/did, do tell him or
her about this exciting new project. If you have any material or
memories pertaining to Stan’s retirement years (1955-1965) that you
wish to share, please get in touch with us through:

info@stanlaurelattheoceana.com

We also welcome any info, photos and documents about early Laurel &
Hardy fan clubs, particularly the Laurel & Hardy Club of America and
the early years of the Sons of the Desert Appreciation Society. Of
course anyone who contributes will be duly credited and rewarded.

When the book is ready, we will launch a crowdfunding campaign,
probably on Kickstarter, in order to be able to get it printed and
distributed. So even if you don't happen to have something to
contribute to the book itself, you can still help to make sure it
becomes a reality by preordering through the campaign (to be
announced).

Please spread the word throughout the Laurel & Hardy community.

CONTACT

If you have any information or material
which you believe would be useful for our upcoming book, and which
you want to share with your fellow Laurel & Hardy fans, please let
us know. We'd love to hear from you! Of course anyone who
contributes will be duly credited and rewarded.

For more info about our project, please contact us at:

info@stanlaurelattheoceana.com

ABOUT US

Nico Cartenstadt (Belgium), Michael Ehret (Germany) and Tyler St.
Mark (USA) are three lifelong Laurel & Hardy fans and collectors,
who are dedicated to both preserving and promoting the legacy of the
best double act ever to grace the silver screen.

In 2017, Michael and Nico published a much-acclaimed book/CD release
about the boys, called "Spot On! An Audiovisual Account of Laurel &
Hardy's 1952 British Tour" www.laurel-hardy-publications.com With
the multitalented and very knowledgeable Tyler on board, the three
of them set out to produce a worthy successor, titled Stan Laurel at
the Oceana - Twilight of a Comedy Legend.